


Mon Dieu

by choiceism



Category: A.C.E (Beat Interactive Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Graffiti, M/M, minimal angst, the graffiti artist au that nobody asked for
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-08-25 11:45:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16660549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/choiceism/pseuds/choiceism
Summary: Yuchan has a lot of love for the anonymous graffiti artist on campus- and a lot of questions for the person down the corridor who keeps coming back to the dorms in the middle of the night.





	Mon Dieu

**Author's Note:**

> 2/3 of this was written late at night in one sitting so please don't judge it too harshly  
> the title is from the song mon dieu by jung jinwoo (stream the rotate album) which i listened to on repeat while writing this

“Can we take a different route today?” Yuchan meets Byeongkwan outside of his dorm, finding the shorter student piled up to his nose in scarves despite the weather already starting to get warmer. 

 

“Let me guess- there’s a new art piece up?” Byeongkwan rolls his eyes as Yuchan nods, adjusting his bag of folders and empty coffee cups. “We’d better get going then if we’re going to make it to your lecture on time.”

 

It’s early, enough so that the traffic is quiet, allowing them to get the bus with ease on their way to Yuchan’s 9am lecture- focused around some law or legislation that he can’t remember for the life of him. Byeongkwan is lucky enough to not have anything scheduled in till later in the morning, instead planning to sit in a cafe and research coral ecosystems till his Marine Biology lecture starts. Leaving the bus a stop earlier, they wander amongst the streets, breath condensing into clouds in the air in front of them and the sky still milky with early morning sunlight.

 

“Junyoung said it was near the chemistry buildings when he saw it this morning.” Yuchan pulls his phone out, checking their location against the message that lights up his screen.

 

“Who’s Junyoung?” Byeongkwan trips over a paving stone, cursing something about early starts and dumb art pieces under his breath.

 

“From my Law course,” Yuchan catches the blank expression on Byeongkwan’s face. “You know- he’s tall and he has brown hair.”

 

“Not ringing any bells.” Byeongkwan shrugs, prompting a loud sigh from Yuchan.

 

“Does ‘ _ Kang Yuchan’s hot assignment partner’  _ rejuke any memories?” Quoting Byeongkwan’s exact words from the previous semester seems to strike some sort of recognition, judging by the way his eyes light up.

 

“Oh  _ that _ Junyoung!” Byeongkwan pouts, childlike. “You never did get me his number.”

 

Before Yuchan can respond, he spots a sudden burst of colour at the end of the street, tucked mostly into an alleyway then bursting out onto the building alongside, vines and flowers spilling out of the gloom. Along the wall of the alleyway sits a sunflower with vivid yellow petals, spreading sunshine and vines outwards. Underneath it is the signature that decorates all the drawings and artwork scattered across the buildings of Yuchan’s university-  _ Honey.  _

 

“Shine light in the darkest places.” Byeongkwan reads the text that spreads along one of the tendrils, scrawled onto the crumbling brickwork. 

 

“I think this has to be one of my favourites,” Yuchan comments, raising his phone to take a photo of the artwork, a splash of colour amongst the mundanity of the surrounding buildings. His lockscreen is another of Honey’s works- a skyline filled with galaxies and starlight, painted across a wall around the back of the bus station. “I love Honey’s flower pieces.”

 

Honey is a commonly spoken name amongst the students of the university, the alias of the anonymous graffiti artist who spreads colour to even the most dull parts of the campus. Their work seems to show up overnight, leaving walls that were blank the day before brimming with paint, chalk and light. Yuchan is- for lack of a better word- enamoured by the almost whimsical quality to Honey’s artwork, dedicating himself to finding each piece and photographing it before the university can paint over it, leaving places blank and colourless once again. 

 

There’s even rumours that Honey would take requests- that putting in a good word might leave you with flowers spilling out of the wall opposite your tutorial room, or words of motivation springing up along the wall near the bus stop you get to 9am lectures. Regardless- Yuchan’s suggestions of something outside of the Law building have remained unanswered.

 

“It’s 8:50, you know.” Byeongkwan looks down at his watch, then near  _ cackles  _ as Yuchan pockets his phone and breaks out into a run. 

 

-

 

Living in a dorm located on the same corridor as a group of the third year apartments has many benefits. Yuchan has lost count of the times he’s been grateful for advice on the cheapest places to buy groceries, the best times to visit the library, how to do the washing without turning his clothes a shocking shade of pink. 

 

However it’s late at night, when Yuchan is on the verge of falling asleep, that a door slams loudly, startling him awake and reminding him of the downsides of living next to the third year apartments. One specific downside is the constant lack of sleep that comes in the form of the cute third year living in the apartment next door- and his habit of arriving back at his room close to 2am on most nights. Avid partying habits- Yuchan chalks it down to, as he tries to settle back to sleep.

 

Yuchan has talked to the aforementioned cute third year on only one prior occasion- in the stairwell when he’d offered to help him down the stairs with a canvas and a toolbox full of paints, having seen him looking on the verge of dropping them. Upon asking, Yuchan had been faced with sad-looking eyes and a grateful smile, unloading his canvas into Yuchan’s arms without a second thought. They make small talk as they shuffle down the stairs- “I’m studying art, my roommates hate me.”- then, at the door, he reclaims his canvas and leaves before Yuchan can even get his name.

 

As something falls over in the apartment next door, clattering to the ground accompanied by a loud curse, Yuchan sighs and settles in for another sleepless night.

 

-

 

There’s another art piece on the wall, close to the law building that Yuchan walks to every morning, catching the corner of his eye as he heads to a late-morning tutorial session, coffee in hand to keep himself awake and his footsteps dragging as he moves. It’s a simple piece, bold words against the painted backdrop of a previous one of Honey’s works- one that was covered up within days of it appearing by the university caretakers and a can of white paint.

 

Against the cracked paintwork reads ‘ _ YOU CAN’T SUFFOCATE ART _ ’ in looped cursive, branching out into tiny paint splatters that, from a distance, look like stars. Yuchan stops to take a photo and set it as his lockscreen after a moment of hesitation, before hurrying on towards his tutorial, feeling a little more awake than before.

 

-

 

Late nights are a common feature of Yuchan’s week, sitting up to proofread his essays, make notes from his textbooks, or simply to catch up on shows that he didn’t have the time to watch during the day, sat up in bed with the blankets tangled around his ankles and the glow of his laptop screen illuminating his room with artificial lighting.

 

It’s 3am on a Thursday morning, edging into the end-of-the-week lull, when, as Yuchan sits in the kitchen waiting for his cup of hot chocolate to finish in the microwave, the door to his dorm flies open and slams into the wall opposite. Yuchan’s first response is to think calmly to himself that  _ oh, _ he forgot to lock the door- then his thoughts catch up to him and he jumps out of his chair in panic, flattening himself against the kitchen counter. The microwave beeps behind him to indicate that his hot chocolate is done.

 

“This isn’t my room.” Standing in the doorway is the cute third year from down the corridor, out of breath and an expression alike to a deer in the headlights upon his face, staring in Yuchan’s direction.

 

The absurdity of the situation is lost on Yuchan in his somewhat sleep-deprived state and, seeing that the person in the doorway doesn’t seem to mean any harm, he relaxes and turns back to the microwave to retrieve his hot chocolate. “Party was that wild, huh?” He pulls a teaspoon out of the drawer, catching sight of the confused expression on the third year’s face.

 

“I,” He seems almost lost for words, and Yuchan laughs to himself. “I guess you could say that.” He’s still standing in the open doorway, clinging onto his bag and his clothes are covered in paint- he’s an art student, Yuchan reminds himself- line of sight jumping between the corridor behind him, Yuchan and his hot chocolate. 

 

“Do you want some hot chocolate?” Yuchan can practically  _ hear  _ Byeongkwan berating him for talking to strangers- especially ones who burst into his kitchen in the middle of the night. He puts it down to sleeplessness and the shock of the sudden presence of a cute boy when he beckons the third year into his kitchen. “You can come in, you know. Don’t just stand there letting a draft in.”

 

Yuchan sets about making another cup of hot chocolate as the third year sits down at the table, looking wholly uncomfortable as he slides his bag off his shoulder, its contents knocking together with the sounds of metal against metal. “I’m Donghun,” He introduces himself to break the silence. “I didn’t want to tell you in case you sue me for breaking and entering but I figured you wouldn’t be offering me hot chocolate if you were planning on going down that route.”

 

A laugh escapes Yuchan. “You never know- this could just be my attempt at distracting you,” He pulls the hot chocolate out of the microwave and sets it down on the table in front of the cute third year-  _ Donghun _ \- and takes a sip out of his own mug. “I’m Yuchan.”

 

“I remember you- you were the one who helped me down the stairs with my canvas a while ago.” after he finishes speaking, Donghun widens his eyes at the taste of the hot chocolate- or perhaps because he burned his tongue. 

 

“And I remember you too- you’re the one who keeps slamming your door late at night.” Yuchan feels that Donghun owes it to him to let him be a  _ little  _ petty.

 

“Ah, I’m sorry about that,” He smiles, sheepish in Yuchan’s direction. “If I promise to keep quiet from now on, will you forgive me?”

 

Yuchan pauses, as if contemplating his options, then nods resolutely. “Yeah, I guess I could. You might have to pay me back at some point though,” He’s not sure if his sudden confidence comes from the fact that it’s so early or in the morning, or if the hot chocolate is slightly out of date, but Yuchan continues, following up his statement with a wide grin and a “Maybe you could buy me coffee some time?”

 

Donghun blinks, surprised, then laughs. “I should have known you’d want me to buy you stuff!” He fixes Yuchan with a disappointed look. “Maybe I’ll have to tell my roommate that I met Yuchan the beggar from down the corridor, instead of enthusing to him about the cute guy I was talking to like I was planning.” 

 

“I’m not a beggar,” Yuchan frowns into his hot chocolate. “I just know what I want- and that’s coffee.”

 

“Keep telling yourself that,” Donghun finishes up his drink, and picks up his bag again, getting out of the chair. “I’m going to head back to my room- I’ll sleep on the thought of buying you coffee, wait to see if I can bring myself to part with some of my money.”

 

Yuchan is smiling still as he closes the door behind Donghun, making sure to lock it this time.

 

-

 

Yuchan wakes up the following morning with the beginnings of a headache, no food in his cupboard- and a slight suspicion that the previous night was some sort of bizarre dream. The two mugs of hot chocolate on the countertop by the sink cause him to reconsider, but his mind is too focused on the fact that he only has teabags and chilli sauce in his cupboard to care. 

 

Stealing cornflakes out of his roommates cupboard (a post it note left on the box with a promise to buy him more should suffice as compensation) and grabbing a bag, Yuchan heads out to go shopping, deciding that proofreading his essay can wait another few hours.

 

“Hey- Yuchan, right?” Standing across the hallway, next to the elevator, is cute third year- Donghun, his brain helpfully supplies- wrestling plastic bags into a backpack. His line of sight jumps down to Yuchan’s hands. “You’re heading out to the store too?”

 

So the previous night was real. Yuchan nods. “I ran out of food. Do you want to go with me?” A sly sort of smile slips into place on his face, remembering their conversation in the early hours of the morning over hot chocolate. “You can buy me that coffee you owe me.”

 

Donghun sighs. “I was hoping you’d forgotten about that.”

 

“I never forget.”

 

They walk side by side, exchanging pleasant conversation as they go. Yuchan learns that Donghun spends most of his time in the art room working on his projects for the year (hence why he’s always out so late), that he used to be part of the choir before he quit, that he’s always wanted a pet dog. In the time it takes them to get close to the store, Yuchan feels like he’s known Donghun and his sarcasm and witty comments for years.

 

There’s a few people standing near the wall that runs alongside the road leading up to the store, phones lifted to take photos of the artwork plastered on the brickwork. Yuchan knows it’s Honey’s before he can even properly see it, taking off down the street to get a closer look. Donghun follows, bemused. The painting is clearly unfinished, a the person it depicts crouched on the ground staring into a telescope missing their face and legs, the sky painted into the bricks above them empty of stars and colour. There’s still a can of spray-paint resting against the wall, streaking purple against the pavement, clearly dropped in a hurry. 

 

“Isn’t it pretty?” Yuchan does nothing to hide the wonder in his voice- even Honey’s unfinished artwork striking him with amazement.

 

“I don’t see what’s that special about it,” when Yuchan turns to face him, Donghun’s expression is guarded and critical, scrutinizing the artwork in front of him. “It’s not even finished.”

 

Yuchan blinks, confused by the sudden spite present in Donghun’s voice. He’s still staring the piece down, as if analysing every shade and fleck of paint coloured into the peeling brickwork. “Don’t you at least think it looks nice?”

 

There’s a pause, drawn out for far too long, then Donghun shakes his head. “I’ve seen better.”

 

“Well, I like it,” Yuchan frowns. “I’ve loved Honey’s artwork ever since I started at the university. It makes my days brighter when I see flowers and night skies painted all over the walls,” He unlocks his phone, showing Donghun the words painted upon the wall in his lockscreen.  _ YOU CAN’T SUFFOCATE ART.  _ “They’re like an inspiration to me.”

 

The expression on Donghun’s face morphs into something that Yuchan can’t quite read, before he sighs and points towards the store. “Let’s actually get on with the shopping- I haven’t had breakfast yet and im starving.”

 

The atmosphere quickly falls back into cheerful conversation, Donghun raising an eyebrow in amusement as Yuchan skips straight past the fresh food aisle, stopping by the frozen food to load one, then two pizzas into his basket without a second thought. Feeling Donghun shooting him a questioning look, Yuchan turns to face him.

 

“Do you really take me as someone who can cook?” He questions, before reaching out and dropping a third pizza into his basket. The judgemental expression remains on Donghun’s face until they reach the non-perishable items and the third year starts loading up his own basket with cup-a-soup sachets and instant noodles. Yuchan casts him a disbelieving look. “And you want to judge me for not eating properly?”

 

“I never said that I could cook either,” Donghun looks down at his own basket, then across at Yuchan’s and sighs. “How about we make a deal- we both have to buy some actual food and try to cook.”

 

What was supposed to be a quick grocery shopping trip descends into googling easy recipes and throwing cheap ingredients into their baskets, pointing out deals and interesting looking foods to one another. Yuchan remarks to himself in surprise, while they’re waiting at the checkout, baskets full, just how painfully domestic it all feels. 

 

(“So about that coffee?” Donghun sighs as they leave the shop, laden down by shopping, and treks into the nearest Starbucks with Yuchan in tow. Briefly glancing at the menu, Yuchan orders hot chocolate just to see the way Donghun laughs and rolls his eyes.)

 

-

 

Yuchan runs into Donghun the following day on his way to his morning lecture too. The art student barely notices him, swaying on his feet as he fumbles with the keys to his room, looking tired out of his mind. He doesn’t look like he’s slept at all, heavy dark circles present under his eyes and his hair messy as if he had just rolled out of bed in last night’s clothes. Yuchan considers checking in on him, somewhat concerned, but then Donghun shoots him a bright but tired grin and a half-hearted thumbs up, before finally managing to open his door and stepping inside. 

 

The piece of art near the store is complete when Yuchan walks past it. The person is painted as if they’re sitting on the pavement, and above them stretches a sky filled with colour and galaxies, a planetarium full of stars spreading across the wall.  _ KEEP YOUR HEAD UP,  _ spells out the familiar writing at the bottom of the wall. 

 

He takes a photo, then hurries on to his lecture with a smile on his face.

 

-

 

It’s a few nights later that Yuchan hears Donghun running down the corridor once again, his footsteps thudding against the carpet outside of Yuchan’s dorm. There’s a moment where Yuchan braces himself for the slam of a door, for the sound of stuff falling over and shoes being kicked off against a wall.

 

There’s a pause, and Donghun closes the door quietly, careful to not make a noise.

 

Yuchan smiles to himself and settles deeper into bed, sinking off into sleep.

 

-

 

“What bus route do you get to your lectures?” Donghun asks as he sits next to Yuchan in the park (consisting of a poorly managed lawn and a broken swingset), a sketchpad open on his knee as he doodles the folded petals of flowers and the sharp lines of the tree branches above them. 

 

“The one that goes past the swimming pool,” Yuchan looks up from the book in his hands, shooting a curious glance in Donghun’s direction. “Why do you need to know?”

 

Donghun shrugs. “Just curious.” He turns back to his sketchbook, chewing on the end of his pencil before continuing to draw, sketching careful marks and lines into the pages. Spring is fast approaching, with flowers pushing up through the grass and leaves starting to sprout to life along the tree branches. The silence between them is comfortable, built up over the period of nearly a month, no longer needing to fill the space between them with words. When they do talk, they fire remarks back and forth, making one another smile and laugh. 

 

Donghun sometimes visits late at night, when Yuchan is sitting up doing work, bringing snacks and wrapped in a paint-splattered hoodie which he attributes to late nights in the art studio. Sometimes they meet during the day, to shop or to get coffee, to go to the cinema and sit at the back, whispering jokes and sarcastic comments to one another, or to cry at the sad scenes, Donghun’s hand finding its way into Yuchan’s between the seats.

 

Just like the weak sun in the middle of the afternoon or the smile that spreads to Donghun’s face when Yuchan waves to him in the corridor, it’s  _ comfortable _ , and Yuchan doesn’t know how he could have managed without it.

 

-

 

There’s a new piece by Honey right across the road from the stop Yuchan waits at to get the bus to his lectures. It’s huge and bright, depicting sunflowers stretching their petals up to the sky, shimmering as if streaked with glitter in the early morning sunlight.

 

The sight jolts Yuchan out of his sleepy state, the view of the wall lined in bright, sunny yellow bringing a grin to his face.

 

_ HELLO, SUNSHINE. _

 

The words written above the piece only make Yuchan smile brighter, and he takes a photo, setting it as his new phone wallpaper without hesitation, before the bus pulls into the stop and he gets on, the smile still refusing to leave his face.

 

(“Where’s that?” Donghun questions, leaning over his coffee and catching sight of Yuchan’s new phone wallpaper. 

 

“Right outside my bus stop,” Yuchan glances down at the photo, fond. “It showed up last night.”

 

“It must be for you if it’s talking about sunshine.” Donghun smiles, and Yuchan feels his heart skip a beat.)

 

-

 

Yuchan feels himself fall for Donghun in the same way he became friends with him- quickly and unexpectedly.

 

He goes from laughing and pushing the art student away when he tries to cling onto his arm, to biting his lip and hoping he can school his expression into something neutral, something that won’t give away the feeling of his heart rate picking up. He finds himself reading too much into everything- the songs that Donghun recommends to him, the coffee he buys him, the way his hand always seems to rest on his shoulder, his arm, his wrist. Yuchan knows he’s the sort of person who falls hard- but that doesn’t do anything to prepare him for the way Donghun even crawls his way into his dreams, holding his hand and pressing kisses against his cheeks. 

 

“You like him, don’t you?” Byeongkwan catches on in the moment that Yuchan smiles down at his phone when a text from Donghun lights up the screen, forgetting to school the lovestruck expression from his face a second too late, just long enough for Byeongkwan to see it.

 

“I-” The expression on Byeongkwan’s face tells Yuchan that there’s no point in avoiding the question. “Yeah. I do.”

 

“Just tell him,” Yuchan isn’t sure what response he was expecting- but that most definitely wasn’t it. “He likes you back so you have nothing to lose.”

 

“How do you know?” To the last of Yuchan’s knowledge, Byeongkwan had talked to Donghun on exactly two occasions, both of which had ended in the marine biologist complaining for hours afterwards.

 

“Well, why else would he put up with buying you  _ that  _ much stuff?” Byeongkwan states, before resuming typing out his notes on fish respiratory systems. Yuchan pauses to consider Byeongkwan’s statements, staring past his textbook into the table. 

 

“I can hear you thinking from over here.” Byeongkwan laughs, then curses as his computer flashes a warning that it’s about to run out of battery.

 

-

 

Yuchan takes Byeongkwan’s advice into consideration, and decides to act as soon as possible, in order to prevent himself from changing his mind. He knows it’s late- the clock in the hall reads 11:39PM, but that could be hours out in either direction- but he doesn’t think twice about walking down the corridor and knocking on the door to Donghun’s dorm. There’s silence, prolonged and heavy, in which Yuchan considers turning around and running back to his own room, then footsteps, and the door opens to Donghun’s confused expression.

 

“It’s late.” Donghun’s statement comes out almost like a question, confused.

 

“Do you want to go on a date?” Yuchan responds, before he can convince himself to say anything else. Both he and Donghun stand in silence, eye contact held in a bizarre sort of standoff in the doorway to Donghun’s dorm. One of the lights in the hallway flickers, not quite working correctly. The clock on the wall stays at 11:39PM, evidently stuck.

 

“I’d love to,” Donghun’s face breaks out into a tired smile. “Can we decide on the place in the morning though? It’s 1AM.” 

 

Yuchan curses his own impulsiveness and the broken clock on the wall, but grins regardless.

 

-

 

They decide to go classic- a coffee date in a cafe that they usually avoid due to the price of the tea and cakes, with cute decor and nice music that plays out into the street every time the door opens. Yuchan waits at a table in the best outfit he could find, tapping his fingers against the table, body filled with excited energy. A waitress smiles at him as he declines their offer of a menu, explaining that he’s waiting for someone to arrive before he orders with a grin. 

 

He looks up, expectant, each time the door opens, but it’s never Donghun, always someone else, heading in and sitting at their own table, looking over the menus and ordering with a smile. The time passes on, and the excitement fades into nerves, then into worry, as the minutes stretch on long enough for Donghun being late to no longer be an explanation.

 

The waitress asks Yuchan if he wants to order again, an air of hesitation to her words, and he shakes his head, not wanting to meet her eye. He texts Donghun again, a sigh escaping him as he receives no response, the message remaining unread and unanswered.

 

An hour passes before he leaves, picking up his bag and walking out of the door. He stares towards the ground, line of sight aimed at the floor and not wanting to meet anyone’s eyes. 

 

The wall across the road still reads  _ HELLO, SUNSHINE.  _ For once, the words at the bus stop, sunflowers still stretching their petals up to the sky in bright yellow hues, don’t put a smile on his face. 

 

It’s the feeling of sadness that causes Yuchan to head towards his own room, wanting nothing but to throw his bag to the floor and cry into the pillow on his bed, accompanied by sad, slow music. Then it’s the feeling of worry that creeps up on him ( _ what if he didn’t show up because something happened _ ) that turns him toward Donghun’s dorm, footsteps hesitant as he raises his fist and knocks. The hallway is silent, the clock on the wall still frozen at 11:39PM. 

 

It’s Junhee- Donghun’s roommate- who opens the door, his look of anticipation fading as he catches sight of Yuchan standing in the doorway, worried.

 

“Is Donghun in?” Yuchan asks, and, if possible, Junhee’s expression falls further into worry, the concern he clearly displays doing nothing to soothe Yuchan’s apprehensions. 

 

“I haven’t seen him since yesterday,” Junhee speaks honestly, a sigh escaping him. “I was hoping that he was with you.” 

 

Yuchan’s grip tightens around the strap of his bag, the concern that fills his chest growing into something deeper and more harsh. “He didn’t show up to meet me and he’s not answering his phone.” He admits, and Junhee worries his lower lip between his teeth, stress evidently chewing at the corners of his mind. 

 

“Do you want to come in?” The silence that stretches between them is long and uncomfortable, before Junhee motions into the kitchen of his dorm. “We can wait for him to come back together.”

 

Time seems to crawl past. Junhee makes them tea and they sit, waiting in nervous silence, Junhee tapping away at his phone and Yuchan bouncing his leg underneath the table, the worry that gnaws at him threatening to overpower him with every minute that goes by. Afternoon turns into evening, and Junhee fixes them dinner, throwing a pizza into the oven despite the fact that they both know that they’re not in the mood to eat. Evening turns into night, and Junhee turns on the TV, anything to distract the both of them from the situation, to take their minds off the concern that hangs over the room like a dark cloud, heavy and foreboding. 

 

It’s 1AM when the door swings open, and Donghun walks in.

 

He’s tired, more so than Yuchan has ever seen him, his entire body hunched over as if it can’t quite hold him up and the bag he carries threatening to slip from his shoulder, resting against the wall as if he’s ready to fall asleep where he stands. He doesn’t notice them at first, too focused on placing his own feet in a straight line to look up from the floor. Junhee coughs to catch his attention, and his head flies up.

 

Donghun’s line of sight falls on Junhee, then on Yuchan. His eyes widen- whether in surprise or annoyance, Yuchan can’t tell- then he runs, dumping his bag and trying to force his way into his room. The bag hits the ground, metallic, and a can of spray paint rolls out. 

 

Before he can think about what he’s doing, Yuchan is on his feet, catching the door to Donghun’s room before it can close and wedging his foot in the gap. “Where were you?” Yuchan knows his voice is too loud, but he can’t bring himself to care, shouting into the gap between the door and the wall. Donghun doesn’t respond, only tries harder to close the door, attempting to kick Yuchan’s foot out of the way. Somewhere behind them, Junhee leaves the apartment, giving them space. “You can’t just ditch me on our first date, go missing for an entire day then refuse to tell me where you were!”

 

“Can we discuss this some other time,  _ please. _ ” Donghun yells back, pushing the door ever harder. It’s starting to hurt, so Yuchan shoves back even harder, attempting to force his way into the room.

 

“No! No we can’t!” Yuchan is fully shouting now, forcing his shoulder against the door, hair messy and red in the face. He’s not sure if he feels upset, angry- or both. “If you changed your mind and don’t want to date me, then just tell me- I’m not gonna care!” Yuchan knows it’s a lie- he’d care very much- but anything would be better than not knowing.

 

“No, it’s not that, I swear.” Donghun seems almost sad at the thought, lowering his voice slightly.

 

“Then why can’t you tell me! What is it that’s so horrible that you can’t-” Yuchan gives one final push, and dislodges Donghun from his side of the door, tumbling forwards into the room and almost tripping and falling onto the carpet. 

 

The first thing Yuchan notices is the paint. Cans of spray paint, bottles of poster paint, acrylics and samples from homeware stores, scattered across the shelves and the floor, staining the carpet in places that they’ve been spilled, kicked over by careless feet. There’s other supplies too, chalk and glitter glue and charcoal, all well-used and well-loved.

 

The second thing he notices is the drawings. They’re scattered all over the desk and pinned to the walls, rough sketches and designs that are oh so familiar to Yuchan. His eyes zero in to the sketch pinned square in the middle of the noticeboard above Donghun’s desk, the expression upon his face falling into recognition. 

 

“It’s you.” He speaks, disbelieving.

 

_ HELLO, SUNSHINE.  _ The sunflowers, scaled down to fit on a sheet of paper, speak back.

 

Donghun looks defeated, staring down at the carpet, past his paint-stained sleeves. He’s silent, tired out of his mind, simply waiting for Yuchan to speak again. Yuchan doesn’t know quite how to feel. It crosses his mind that maybe he should feel betrayed, that he should feel lied to. But instead all he can bring himself is to feel relieved. 

 

Because, quite honestly, he thinks he would have been disappointed if Honey had turned out to be anyone else.

 

“So when you were crashing around late at night,” Yuchan speaks, finally, Donghun still avoiding meeting his eyes. “You weren’t actually coming back from wild parties?”

 

Donghun pauses, the confusion written across his face clear as day. Then, as if letting out a breath held for far too long, he breaks down into a laugh, a smile working its way onto his features. “Oh my god, that’s all you have to say right now?” 

 

“For now- yes,” Yuchan points to Donghun’s bed, scattered with clothes and crumpled up sketches. “We can talk more later. Right now, you need to sleep because you look awful.”

 

There’s a moment where Donghun opens his mouth to argue, then his tiredness catches up to him and all he does is nod, before swiping everything off his bed and collapsing into it, still in his clothes. He’s asleep within minutes, and Yuchan pulls the covers over him, turning off the light and leaving with a smile on his face.

 

(In the corridor, Junhee is waiting with an ear pressed up against the door and a sheepish expression upon his face.)

 

-

 

“So you never did explain to me,” They meet up for coffee the following morning, when Donghun is more awake and Yuchan has had time to think things over. Yuchan reaches across the table with a fork and steals a bite of Donghun’s cake before he can continue speaking. “Why didn’t you show up to meet me yesterday?”

 

An expression that comes close to embarrassment makes its way onto Donghun’s features. “I got caught,” He admits. “And  _ perhaps  _ I got arrested for vandalism and destruction of property and had to wait for Sehyoon to come and bail me out.” He looks down at his latte, guilty, and Yuchan isn’t sure if he should laugh or cry.

 

“Please tell me you’re going to keep the art thing subtle for a little while at least.” Yuchan doesn’t know why he bothers asking, fully aware that Donghun is too stubborn to even consider stopping.

 

“You like my artwork though,” The smile that spreads to Donghun’s eyes tells Yuchan immediately that he has no plans of stopping. “I can’t make any promises.”

 

-

 

“This doesn’t exactly look like staying subtle.” Yuchan looks up at the large painting sprawled out on the wall near the dorms, depicting a faceless person jumping and reaching towards the sun, suspended just out of reach above them.  _ MON DIEU, I LOVE YOU!  _ sits next to it in the familiar handwriting that Yuchan has come to love. He raises an eyebrow at Donghun, who stands, grinning, not even trying to look sheepish or ashamed.

 

Yuchan knows he shouldn’t, but he kisses him regardless. 

**Author's Note:**

> find me on twitter @cactace_ !  
> all feedback is very much appreciated  
> / (•ㅅ•)＼


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